Unite the union Scotland marks Transgender Day of Reme...

Unite Scotland marks Transgender Day of Remembrance

18 November 2014

Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place on 20 November each year and serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people and gives everyone a chance to remember those who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

The level of transphobic hate crime in the United Kingdom and worldwide makes sobering reading. In recent research of trans people in Scotland by the Scottish Transgender Alliance, it was found that:

73% have experienced transphobic hate crime;

20% have been physically assaulted; and

14% sexually assaulted.

The Trans Murder Monitoring Project, set up to monitor reports of murders of trans people worldwide, has reported that in the first three months of 2014, already 75 reported murders of trans people have been registered.

Supporting trans people isn’t complicated and can start by remembering these simple steps:

Accept the gender identity, name and pronoun of any transgender person.

Be polite – don’t ask intrusive questions, make insensitive comments or pass on any gossip about their physical body, medical treatment or gender history.

Challenge transphobia in the same way as you would challenge racism or disability discrimination

Unite the union is committed to supporting trans communities and is marking Transgender Day of Remembrance by holding an awareness event on Wednesday 19 November at John Smith House, Glasgow from 18:00-20:00. We will be joined by a guest speaker from the Scottish Transgender Alliance and all are welcome to attend.